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Drought Information Statement
National Weather Service Birmngham AL
954 AM CDT Thu May 24 2018
... DROUGHT CONDITIONS IN EAST-CENTRAL ALABAMA ...
SYNOPSIS...The latest U.S. Drought Monitor indicates that Moderate
Drought conditions are found in extreme southern Randolph County,
much of Chambers County and eastern sections of Tallapoosa County.
Elsewhere, Abnormally Dry conditions cover most other areas of
Central Alabama east of a line from near Gadsden to Selma. Remaining
areas in Central Alabama are indicated to be Normal.
The Drought Monitor classifies drought within one of these five
categories:
D0...Abnormally Dry
D1...Moderate Drought
D2...Severe Drought
D3...Extreme Drought
D4...Exceptional Drought
CLIMATE SUMMARY...
Rainfall totals during the past two weeks were quite varied across
Central Alabama with some areas only receiving around an inch of
cumulative rainfall while other locations received three to five
inches with localized higher amounts. Some of the lower totals
occurred in areas designated as in Moderate Drought or Abnormally
Dry so there was not any significant change to the dry conditions in
these areas.
Some precipitation amounts (inches) for Central Alabama from January
1st through May 23rd...
Birmingham 25.17
Montgomery 17.05
Anniston 19.91
Tuscaloosa 25.93
Calera 24.46
Troy 12.97
Normal Precipitation expected (inches) and Departure from Normal
(inches) January 1st through May 23rd...
Birmingham 22.73 +2.44
Montgomery 22.56 -5.51
Anniston 21.90 -1.99
Tuscaloosa 22.37 +3.56
Calera 22.68 +1.78
Troy 21.36 -8.39
AGRICULTURAL IMPACTS...
There are not any known widespread agricultural problems at this
time due to the current drought conditions. Information from the
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) indicates that rain
has been hit or miss in many areas, but has provided some much
needed relief for crops. The planting of cotton and peanuts
continues across the area. Dry conditions persist in some areas and
irrigation of corn has been needed in portions of Barbour County,
and the dry weather has plagued pastures and fields in Montgomery
County. In general, most cattle, pastures and planted crops are
reported to be in fair or better condition.
FIRE DANGER IMPACTS...
The Fire Danger Risk has increased somewhat across Central Alabama
with Keetch-Byram Drought Indices (KBDI) currently running mostly
between 100 and 400. Values above 500 indicate a Severe Fire Danger.
The Alabama Forestry Commission reports that around five wild fires
have occurred during the past week and nearly one hundred during the
past 30 days. Despite the fact that there are currently no burn bans
issued by the Alabama Forestry Commission, non-agricultural burns
are not allowed from the month of May through the month of October
for the following Central Alabama counties: Etowah, Jefferson,
Montgomery, Russell, Shelby and Talladega. The State Forester
continues to urge people that are doing any outside burning to
follow safety precautions such as not leaving any fire unattended
and having the proper equipment and personnel to control the fire.
HYDROLOGIC SUMMARY AND OUTLOOK...
The latest USGS Stream Gauge Data indicates that stream flows have
mostly returned to near or above normal levels due to recent
rainfall. Periodic rainfall will be needed for stream flows to
remain at near or above normal levels as we continue into the summer
season.
Most of the major reservoir pool levels remain near their normal
summer pool levels. Listed below are current levels for some of the
major reservoirs across Central Alabama and those from May 11th.
RESERVOIR LEVEL FOR 05/24/18 LEVEL FOR 05/11/18
Weiss 563.7 563.9
Neely Henry 507.8 508.0
Logan Martin 464.9 464.9
Lay 395.6 396.0
Mitchell 311.7 311.9
Jordan 251.5 251.4
R.L. Harris 792.9 792.9
Martin 489.4 489.6
Smith 509.8 509.1
Bankhead 254.8 255.0
Holt 186.4 186.4
SOCIAL IMPACTS...
Most reservoir levels are near their normal summer pool levels. There
are no known mandatory water restrictions currently in effect.
However normal water conservation methods are encouraged to be
followed in the event that the drought conditions persist or worsen
during the summer.
PRECIPITATION AND TEMPERATURE OUTLOOK...
A moist, unstable air mass was found across the area today and is
expected to persist into the weekend. At the same time, low
pressure located near the Yucatan Peninsula today is forecast to
gradually drift northward into the Central or Eastern Gulf of Mexico
over the weekend, and possibly develop into a tropical cyclone. This
pattern will continue to send moist tropical air across the area
into the first part of next week and result in periodic scattered to
numerous showers and thunderstorms during the next several days.
Cumulative rainfall totals through next Wednesday are forecast to
average between three and five inches. The eventual rainfall totals
that occur will depend greatly on the eventual development and
movement of the tropical system to our south.
The Two Week Outlook...from May 29th through June 6th...calls for
above normal temperatures and above normal precipitation.
The Longer-Range Outlook for the remainder of June through August is
for above normal temperatures and above normal precipitation.
The latest Seasonal Drought Outlook through August indicates that
drought conditions are likely to end in areas currently experiencing
them.
UPDATE STATEMENT...
The mext statement will be issued around Thursday June 7th.